Market Garden 80th Anniversary -
September
by Simon Balding
In September a number of Yorkshire MVT members packed up and headed off to mainland Europe for the 80th commemorations of Operation Market Garden portrayed in the film a Bridge too far.
We were participating in the 30 corps event which recreated the efforts of the British ground forces to connect all the bridges in Belgium and Holland captured by the allied parachute forces.
Over 2 weeks, we joined 300 commonwealth vehicles and crews in progressing through Belgium and Holland along the famous club route.
We took our Canadian Dodge and grouped up with the YMVT guys in the Grumpy old men 1944 group and some of our friends from over the hill with the mid lancs MVT.
We participated in many local town celebrations marking 80 years of their liberation by XXX corps.
On one of the days we were supposed to be resting up, we sneaked off camp crammed in the back of a friend's WOT2 and popped over the border to Germany to the Reichswald, and then up to Arnhem and Oosterbeek. Officially the XXX corps never made it that far during OMG, but we had to go and take a an unofficial look at all the Arnhem commemorations as well.
Passing over some of the iconic bridges as we made our way to Bemmel, just short of Arnhem was really moving, and an experience we and many others will not forget.
